Digitial or Unbalanced Analog from CD player to pre-amp?

[Sethboy]

I am waiting for a new setup to arrive - the Emotiva XSP-1 and an XPA GEN3 amp.

The XSP-1 has ONLY analog inputs - balanced XLR or unbalanced RCA, and will connect to the XPA with either XLR or RCA as well.

Currently, I will be using an old CD player which has options of RCA or S/PDIF digital optical outputs.

My question is, does it make much of a difference if I use the analog or digital output from the CD player to the pre-amp? If there is a particular benefit to using the digital? Or vice versa?

If I use the digital, then I have to figure out how to convert that to an analog signal (XLR or RCA) to input in the pre-amp. And eventually, the same consideration with my computer, USB or analog or digital optical or digital coax outputs?

I simply want to know whether it makes a huge difference.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

just get nice shielded unbalanced RCA cables and use build-in dac in CD player

 

[lovinthehd]

Well, if your pre-amp had the capability of handling a digital conversion then it might be a choice, but it doesn't so your only choice is the analog output from the cd player. You'd need an external DAC to use the digital output of your sources. Why did you get an analog pre-amp with all the digital gear?

ps I don't think it makes a lot of difference if your sources have a decent dac, except to simplify connections and take advantage of multi-ch if you only have 2.0 analog outputs on your sources...

 

[Sethboy]

I bought the analog only for a new Pro-Ject Debut Carbon turntable
The CD and computer can feed in somehow - somewhere down the line I'll get a newer cd player or external dac,
Thanks

 

[Sethboy]

can you tell someone went bonkers on black friday / cyber monday?
I love being broke

 

[lovinthehd]